Classical Studies

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Elizabeth Asmis, Cl 25B, 702-8517
Departmental Secretary: Kathleen M. Fox, Cl 22B, 702-8514

Program of Study

The Bachelor of Arts program in classical studies offers the opportunity to gain competence in Greek and Latin and provides a broad introduction to the culture of the Greeks and Romans--their philosophy, religion, history, politics, art, and especially their literature. The curriculum is flexible and interdisciplinary. It serves the needs both of students who want a general classical foundation and those who wish to pursue the study of classics at the graduate level.

Program Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. in classical studies may choose to concentrate either in Greek or in Latin, to the exclusion of the other language, or they may choose to concentrate in one language and minor in the other. The program assumes that students begin their language study in college. However, those who have a strong high school background in either Latin or Greek can gain admission to intermediate-level courses by achieving a satisfactory grade on the placement examination.

Undergraduates who intend to continue classical studies at the graduate level are advised to satisfy the course requirements under the preprofessional variant described below.

Course Requirements. The course requirements for the concentration are as follows:

1. Nine courses in Greek or Latin, of which at least six must be taken in the same language. This requirement is satisfied by taking Greek and Latin courses numbered 101-206 and 211-290. The first three courses in Greek (Greek 101-103 or Greek 111-113) or the first four courses in Latin (Latin 101-204) fulfill the Common Core foreign language requirement. Any course for which a student has received placement credit may be counted toward the nine courses required.

2. Three courses in Greek or Roman history, philosophy, science, religion, or art, with courses divided between at least two fields. Some courses that satisfy this requirement are: Art History 203 and 210-212; Classical Civilization 201-259; Fundamentals 202, 222, 227, 256, 270, 272, and 292; History 210-212; Philosophy 250 and 350-359; and Political Science 255 and 315. Other courses in ancient history, philosophy, science, religion, or art may be substituted with the permission of the undergraduate adviser and department chairman.

3. Three departmental courses based on the study of classical literature in translation, of which at least one course must be a research course. The purpose of this requirement is to encourage wider reading and more active reflection about classical literature than usually occurs in Greek and Latin language courses, and to help stimulate thinking about possible subjects for a bachelor's paper. The courses that satisfy this requirement fall into two groups, from each of which at least one course must be taken: Classical Civilization 260-279, devoted to broadly based study of two or more works or of an entire genre, period, or institution; and Classical Civilization 280-297, which are usually given in the autumn and are devoted to research problems and writing. Comparable courses other than those listed (but not more than one reading course) may be substituted with the permission of the undergraduate adviser and the department chairman.

4. An independent study course (Classical Civilization 298) on the subject of the bachelor's paper. This course is to be taken at least one quarter before the quarter in which the student expects to graduate.

No course that is used to satisfy a requirement under one of these categories may be used simultaneously to satisfy a requirement under any other.

Summary of Requirements

General Greek 101-102-103, Greek 111-112-113,
Education or Latin 101-102-103-204

Concentration 5-6 courses in Latin or 6 courses in Greek
3 courses in Greek or Roman history,
philosophy, science, religion, or art
3 departmental courses on classical
literature in translation (see above
description for distribution
requirements)
1 ClCiv 298 (independent study)
- bachelor's paper
12-13 (total)

The Preprofessional Variant. College students who intend to continue classical studies at the graduate level are advised to elect a program that will give them greater linguistic proficiency and a grounding in both classical languages. In the preprofessional variant, six language courses are added to the basic requirements and two other courses are subtracted. The courses required in this variant are:

1. Nine courses in one classical language (either Greek or Latin), and six courses in the other.

2. Two courses in Greek or Roman history, philosophy, science, religion, or art.

3. Two departmental courses based on the study of classical literature in translation. One of these courses must be selected from Classical Civilization 260-279; the other must be selected from Classical Civilization 280-297.

4. An independent study course on the subject of the bachelor's paper.

Except for the number of courses, the requirements within each category are the same as those set out in the preceding section.

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Summary of Requirements

(Preprofessional Variant)

General Latin 101-102-103-204

Education

Concentration 11 courses in Latin and Greek

2 courses in Greek or Roman history,

philosophy, science, religion, or art

2 departmental courses on classical

literature in translation

1 ClCiv 298 (independent study course)

- bachelor's paper

16 (total)

Bachelor's Paper. All candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in classical studies write a paper in addition to any papers written to fulfill course requirements. Students should take an independent study course (Classical Civilization 298) at least one quarter before the quarter in which they plan to graduate; the course is supervised by the faculty member who will act as primary reader. Students devote this course to developing a paper topic and a first draft. The final version of the paper must be approved by two faculty members: the supervisor and another chosen by the student and the supervisor. The finished paper must be submitted to both readers and to the director of undergraduate studies no later than Friday of the fifth week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate. The grade for the paper also serves as the grade for the independent study course.

Grading. The first-year sequences in Latin and Greek (Latin 101-102-103, Greek 101-102-103, and Greek 111-112-113) and the courses in Greek and Latin composition are open for P/N grading for students not using these courses to meet the College or concentration language requirements. All other courses in classics may only be taken for letter grades.

Honors. In order to be recommended for an honors degree, a student must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 and must demonstrate superior ability in the bachelor's paper to interpret Greek or Latin source material and to develop a coherent argument.

The John G. Hawthorne Prize in Classical Studies. The John G. Hawthorne Prize in Classical Studies is a cash award made annually to the graduating senior with the best record of achievement in classical languages, literatures, or civilization. All students concentrating in classical studies are eligible for consideration, although nominations are not limited to concentrators in classical studies.

Faculty

ARTHUR W. H. ADKINS, Edward Olson Professor, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures, New Testament & Early Christian Literature, and Philosophy; Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World; and the College

ELIZABETH ASMIS, Professor, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures and New Testament & Early Christian Literature, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

CHRISTOPHER A. FARAONE, Associate Professor, Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

GARY E. FORSYTHE, Assistant Professor, Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

NANCY PEARCE HELMBOLD, Professor Emerita, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures and New Testament & Early Christian Literature, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

W. R. JOHNSON, John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor of Classical Languages & Literatures, Department of Comparative Literature, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

ROBERT A. KASTER, Professor, Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College; Chairman, Department of Classical Languages and Literatures

IAN MORRIS, Associate Professor, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures and History, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

JAMES M. REDFIELD, Howard L. Willett Professor of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committee on Social Thought, and the College; Chairman, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World

D. NICHOLAS RUDALL, Associate Professor, Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committees on the Ancient Mediterranean World and General Studies in the Humanities, and the College

RICHARD SALLER, Professor, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures and History, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College; Dean, Division of Social Sciences

LAURA SLATKIN, Associate Professor, Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

PETER WHITE, Professor, Departments of Classical Languages & Literatures and New Testament & Early Christian Literature, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World, and the College

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